Diego Lopes gets UFC green light to move to lightweight

Diego Lopes has received UFC approval to move up to the 155-pound division. The Brazilian featherweight had sought the move even before his last fight, but the promotion sent him to compete at 145 pounds instead. Lopes says a top-five or top-six opponent at lightweight would suit him well. He also served as the official backup fighter at the UFC White House event, weighing in at 155 pounds and earning a paycheck for making weight — an initiative he and his manager proposed directly to the promotion after learning Arman Tsarukyan would not be weighing in due to his altercation with Rafael Fiziev.